Find my iPhone and all that built in tracking stuff is great. But it's only useful if the police are willing to help. If they're not? Well. Welcome to Los Angeles.

Angel investor and delightfully bearded western shirt wearer Chris Sacca (who, in the spirit of full disclosure, I should note is a pal) sent out a few tweets earlier today after finding his just-stolen laptop for sale on Craigslist. He's found the laptop, has the serial numbers to prove it's his, and basically did all the legwork for the police in a multi unit robbery. Great! Time to scramble the po-po, right?

Not so fast. This is LA.

It turns out that because the police haven't taken a report on the stolen goods yet, they won't do anything about it. Even with proof.

Sacca's computer was stolen from his brother's video production office, along with his lights and camera rigs. While there, the thieves cleaned out all the other offices in the complex as well—six in all. It was discovered and reported to LAPD shortly after 7 am this morning. But the police haven't sent anyone to take a report yet. And until they take a report—which could be as late as 11:30 tonight—they can't go after the thieves on Craigslist. Got that? Yeah. Us neither.

But it's an illustrative example of both why people so often get frustrated with big city police departments, and how your gadget security measures are only as good as the police who can enforce them. Unless you want to take matters in your own hands, which clearly Chris does not.

I have surveillance video of the thieves. They are very large men who I won't be able to intimidate in any way. LAPD doesn't care.